Glastonbury Partners in Planting Invasive Plant Initiatives

The Town partners with Glastonbury Partners in Planting's Battling Invasives Group to educate our citizens about the destruction caused by invasive (or non-native) plants such as Oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, Japanese barberry, mugwort, multiflora rose, garlic mustard and more. Many of these plants are present in backyards and on town property throughout Glastonbury.

Invasive plants cause environmental harm because they crowd out native plants and in the case of Oriental bittersweet, a very aggressive vine, it can girdle trees making them weak and eventually causing them to die. The presence of invasive plants alters the way plants, animals, soil and water interact within native ecosystems. The altered ecosystem is often harmful to other species in addition to the plants that have been crowded out. Invasive plants are often referred to as a form of “biological pollution” that is sweeping through natural minimally managed and cultivated landscapes here in Glastonbury and throughout Connecticut.

Information on identifying and controlling invasive plants is available at the following links. The first link: Invasive Plants in Your Back Yard! A Guide to their Identification and Control, published by the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District is a highly recommended guide for every property owner.

Jointly coordinating an Annual Work Day and several Save A Tree Days, the Town and Glastonbury Partners in Planting's Battling Invasive's Group work in partnership throughout the year to control and eradicate invasive plants growing in our Town parks. Information available at the following links: